Lawmakers to NIOSH: Reconsider covering cancer for 9/11 responders

New York – Nine New York lawmakers filed a petition Sept. 7 requiring NIOSH Director and 9/11 Health Program Administrator John Howard to consider within 60 days adding cancer to the list of diseases covered under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

The petition follows a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of The Lancet that found a higher risk of melanoma, thyroid and prostate cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center site, and an overall increase in cancers among WTC-exposed firefighters.

However, NIOSH previously announced in July that cancer would not be covered after a review(.pdf file) of available research failed to prove a causal relationship between cancer and 9/11 exposure.